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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

D. P. HARTFORD. sou: ROUNDING MAGHINE.

Patented Apr.f3, 1883.

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D. P. HARTFORD. SOLE ROUNDING MAGHINE.

No 274,939. Patented Apr.3,1883.

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DAVID F. HARTFORD, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGrNOR10Fv ONE- Y .HALFTO THOMAS T. HARTFORD, OF SAME PLACE.

SOLE-ROUNDING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.-274,939, dated April 3,1883. Application filed November 3, 1882; (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID F. HARTFORD, of Boston, inthe county ofSuffolk and State of Massachusetts. have invented a new and usefulSole-Rounding Machine, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in machines forrounding upsole-blanks, in -which the blank is cut to the proper contour by atraveling knife, and in which the knife is guided by a fixed pattern. 7

My objects are as follows: to avoid waste of material and labor bymaking the guide-pattern of metal thin enough to be easily cut to therequired shape by a die or the like; to guide the knife without bringingit in contact with the edge of the pattern; to so mount the knife thatit will swivel or turn, as required by the variations of direction ofthe contour of the pattern, so as to always present its outting-edgeproperly to the blank; to make the knife adjustable for cuttingbevel-edges, or larger or smaller than the pattern; to so arrange thesupports of the clamps for holding the blank that the clamps may bereadily changed to accommodate different sizes of soles,and to providefacilities for adapting the knife-carrying mechanismto the varying sizesof the clamps. u

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a sole-rounding machinewith all my improvements as embodied in the best way now known to me,Figure 1 is a plan or top view of the complete machine, a covering-platebeing removed to show the chain and its connections. Fig. 2 is a sideview, on a smaller scale, of the machine shown in Fig. 1. Whenasolc-blank is in position indicated by the dotted lines the upper clampis lowered.

Fig. 3 is a side view of the knife-carrying slide detached from itscarriage. Figs. 4 and 5 are respectively end and side views of the yokewhich carries the knife, and which is secured to the inner end of theslide, the dotted lines in Fig. 5 indicating the different positions ofthe yoke and knife. Fig. 6 shows the knife, its connection to the armsofthe yoke, and the double crank and the grooved wheel for keeping thecutting-edge of the knife in proper position. Fig.

7 showsthe knife detached, and two views of the rod that connects itwith the double crank and controlling-wheel. Fig. 8 shows the manner ofattaching the upper clamp to the lever.

A A are clamps for holding the sole-blank, which is laid on the clamp A,as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, while it is being rounded up tothe proper contour. The clamp A is detachably secured to the follower a,which is connected to and raised or lowered by the le- 'ver a, pivotedto the arched bar 11, which is rigidly secured to the base B.

Instead of the heavy cast-iron guide-pattern heretofore used, whichrequired much labor to finish it to the proper size, was placed incontact with the sole-blank, and by contact with the edge of which theknife was guided, I employ a pattern, D, having a contour correspondingto that desired for the finished sole, and made of metal thin enough tobe'readily cut or stamped to the proper shape. This=is supported onposts a a The tops of these posts are turned down toproper-sized dowels,which dowels pass through holes in. the thin metal pattern and enterholes in the clamp A, and serve to hold it in its position on thepattern D, as shown in Fig. 2.

The advantages arising from separating the guide-pattern and sole-blankby placing a clamp between them are that the cutting-edge 0f the knifecannot be dulled by contact with the metal pattern, that the frictionmay be greatly reduced, and a very thin pattern be used. V

The knife K is mounted on a slide, G, provided with a grooved wheel, 9,the groove in which is kept in contact with the pattern D by means ofthe coiled spring H, which acts on a pinion meshing in a rack fast tothe slide G. A long coiled spring is preferable, because its tension orpower is but little affected by the slight backhand-forth motion of theslide. This slide G is mounted on wheels to lessen friction, whichwheels rest on the carriage F. The'carriage F is fast to a link of achain,f, passing around pulleys f f turning on journals secured inbrackets in the posts a a. (See Figs. 1 and 2.) This chain is caused to(See Figs. 3, 4, and 7.)

travel by suitable gearing, and the knife-carriage F, being rigidlyattached to one of its links, must therefore travel with it and alwaysmaintain the same position in relation to the link to which it isattached.

It will be readily understood that the slide G hasno motion independentof the carriage except that given by the contour of the guidepattern,and that consequently it and the knife travel with the carriage.

It is evident from the shape of a sole that the position of thecutting-edge of the knife must vary as it travels around its edge, andfor this reason, in order to keep the cuttingedge of the knife alwaysproperly presented to the sole-blank, the knife K is journaled at eachend, so as to turn freely, and in order to provide a leverage on whichthe blank may act to turn the knife as its direction is changed by thecontour of the blank the cutting-edge of the knife is set slightly toone side of a line passing through .the axes of the knife. Thisarrangement answers the purpose so long as the knife remains in theleather; but if there should be a slight break in the continuity of theleather the knife in passing that break might be deflected and notpresentits edge properly on striking the other side ofthe break, Toavoid this difficulty I control the knifeon the wrist of a double crank,g 9 the axis or shank of this crank being in line with the axes of theknife-journals. To this crank the knife is connected by means of the rodg. The slide G is always at right angles to the link of the chain, towhich its carriage is fastened. The wheelg follows the contour of thepattern, and in turning a bend or angle the bearing of this wheel on thepattern will come out of line with the axes of the crank and the wheel.This will cause a side strain on the wheel, which will immediately throwthe crank until the bearing of the wheel and their axes come again inline, and the knife, being connected as above described, will becorrespondingly turned, and thereby properly present its cutting-edge.

It is often required to cut the edges of the sole to a bevel, and thetaps are usually made of a different size from the sole for thesereasons. The journal-boxes k k of the knife K are supported on the endsof the arms of a yoke, 7c. This yoke is clamped to a slotted lug on theslide G by means of the screw 70 and plate 70. (See Figs. 3 and 5.) Boththe I journal-boxes and-a slot in the yoke 70 are curved from the samecenter, which is a point in the middle of the knife, and in line withtne axes of the knife. The plate It has a projection that enters the'curved slot in the yoke la.

- larger or smaller than the pattern.

its middle.. By loosening the clamp-screw k and turning the set-screw kthe edge of the knife can be changed in its relation to the periphery ofthe wheel g, so as to cut the blank The yoke is held against the end ofthe set-screw it, when the screw is is loosened, by the spring 70. (Seenin Figs. 1 and 3.)

Two sets of clamps A A r-0116 for adults and the other for childrenssizes-and a number of patterns corresponding to the varying sizes ofthese two classes, are requisite, and in order to readily change apattern when clamps for one class are used a hook, a, is pivoted to theclam p, so that whenthe clamps are brought together and nothing isbetween them the hook a enters an opening, w, in the clamp A, andcatches and retains it, so that it will be lifted off from the patternwhen the lever to is de-.

pressed, and leave the pattern free to be removed and another to besubstituted.

To change the clamps from one class to another the clamp A is releasedby loosening the screw a the clamp A is lifted off, and the post a ismoved toward the post a by loosening the clamp-screw a and secured inproper position by tightening that screw. The chain f has its links soproportioned that one or more of them may be removed, and thereby makethe length of the chain conform exactly to the change in the distancebetween the posts.

It is obvious that while two sizes of. clamps might be used for allsizesof shoes it would be advisable to have two or more sizes for each class,especially when their soles are to be rounded up, and which, for a largeshoe, would project to an objectionable extent beyond the edges of theclamps, the chain being adapted to the different sizes by adding orremoving a link, as hereinbefore described.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a sole-rounding machine, theguidepattern, in combination with clamps for holding a sole-blank, saidpattern being separated from and resting below the blank-bearing face ofthe clamp, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In a sole-rounding machine, a knifejournaled at each end and adaptedto be partially rotated, having its cutting-edge to oneside of a linepassing through the axes of its journals, substantially as and for thepurposes set forth.

3. The combination, with the knife above described, of a double crankhaving its shaft -5. In a sole-rounding machine, the combinatances fromeach other, in combination with a tion, with a clamp attached to alever,as dechain propelling the knife-carriage and adapt- 1o scribed, andaclamp resting on posts, of a ed to belengthened orshortened,substantially hook pivoted to the post-clamp and adapted asand for the purposes set forth.

5 to catch and retain the other clamp, substan- DAVID F. HARTFORD; Wtially as and for the purposes set forth. Witnesses: 6. In asole-rounding machine, claimp'sup- G'.B.1VIAYNADIER,

porting posts adapted to he set at different dis- J. R. SNOW.

